Google Maps pin in the wrong place: how to fix it
Customers are turning up at the building next door, or Google directions take them round the back of the block. A misplaced pin is common, especially in new developments, rural areas and large plazas, and you can usually fix it in a few minutes.
Why pins end up in the wrong place
- New buildings or roads that Google's map data has not caught up with
- Large sites like plazas, business parks and industrial estates, where the address points to the middle of the site
- Rural addresses where the address is matched to the wrong part of a long road
- Suite or unit numbers that Google does not place precisely
- User suggestions that moved the pin
- Old data from before you moved
How to move your pin
- Open your Business Profile and choose Edit profile.
- Go to the location or address section.
- Check the address is correct, then look for the option to adjust the pin on the map.
- Drag the pin to your entrance, or to where customers should arrive.
- Save.
The change may go under review, and a significant move can prompt Google to ask you to verify again. See video verification if it does.
If the problem is the map itself
Sometimes your pin is right but the map is wrong: a road is missing, a building is in the wrong place, or directions route people to a back entrance. You can report those to Google Maps directly:
- Open Google Maps and find the area.
- Choose the option to suggest an edit or report a data problem.
- Describe what is wrong, such as a missing road or a wrong entrance.
Map corrections take longer to appear than profile edits, sometimes weeks.
Help customers find you meanwhile
- Add directions to your profile description, such as "entrance on the side street, opposite the bank"
- Post photos of your entrance and signage, so people recognise it when they arrive
- Add the same directions to your website's contact page
When not to move your pin
Never move your pin away from your real location to look closer to a city or neighborhood you want to rank in. Google checks locations, competitors report it, and it is one of the quickest routes to a suspended profile. If you go to customers, you can hide your address and set service areas instead.
Questions owners ask
Does the pin position affect my ranking?
Your location is one of the things Google uses to decide who appears for nearby searches, so it matters that it is accurate. Moving the pin a few doors to the right spot will not change much. Moving it to another neighborhood to rank there breaks the rules.
My business has no pin on Google Maps. Is that wrong?
Not if you are a service area business that hides its address. Those show a shaded service area on the map in place of a pin. See our guide to hiding your address.
Why did my pin move on its own?
Google sometimes adjusts pins based on its own map data or user suggestions. If it moved somewhere wrong, correct it from your profile and suggest a fix to the map itself if the building or road is wrong.
Find out who is getting your calls
The free Maps audit shows where you rank across your service area, which competitors are taking the calls you are missing, and exactly what it would take to become the first call. The findings are yours to keep.
Get your free Maps audit